Volume 4, Number 2 - September 19, 2002

In this issue:

WPI to Host Gubernatorial Debate
WPI has been selected as the location for a debate of gubernatorial candidates running in the 2002 Massachusetts general election. The debate will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center Odeum. Judy Woodruff, prime anchor and senior correspondent at CNN, will moderate.

"The debate is a wonderful opportunity for the university, for several reasons," says President Parrish. "First, it gives us a chance to show off our facilities and programs to the media, politicians and visitors who will be attending and covering the debate. Second, we hope the academic setting helps set the tone for the debate, encouraging the candidates to focus on the importance of education and the need to prepare the next generation of engineers, scientists and technologists for leadership roles in the new economy."

The debate is being sponsored by a consortium of Boston print and media broadcast, and will be broadcast on local television stations. Due to the format, the debate is not open to the public. Tickets are available by invitation only. Several remote viewing locations have been set up for the general public. These include Olin Hall 107 (reserved for members of the WPI community), Higgins Labs 116, Higgins Labs 218, and other venues.

Sample a Bit of Salisbury Street
The annual Salisbury Street Sampler gives visitors an opportunity to go inside 12 buildings they drive by every day along this Worcester thoroughfare and find out about the organizations that operate within them. This year's edition of the free open-house program will be held Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WPI Remembers Sept. 11
WPI observed the first anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with two ceremonies of remembrance. Shortly after 10 a.m., students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered around Beech Tree Circle. Recalling "a sad but meaningful day," the Rev. Peter J. Scanlon, director of WPI's Collegiate Religions Center, called upon those gathered to think about the many who died on Sept. 11, including Leonard Taylor '79 of Reston, Va., who was aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which was crashed into the Pentagon.

To the plaintive strains of Amazing Grace, played by a bagpiper and drummer, a procession consisting of a military color guard, a Worcester firefighter and a WPI police officer crossed the Earle Bridge and raised the American flag to half mast.

In a brief but powerful address, WPI President Edward Alton Parrish looked back on how the events of Sept. 11 had touched him and the WPI community. Finally, with the playing of taps, the singing of God Bless America, and a moment of silence for the victims of the attacks, the ceremony concluded.

The community gathered again at noon in Harrington Auditorium to hear reflections and prayers from students, including representatives of the Muslim Student Association, the International Student Association, the Indian Student Association and the Newman Club, and a keynote address by Lt. Col. Richard B. O'Connor, head of WPI's Military Science Department, who was stationed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. The service was moderated by Christopher O'Malley, president of the Student Government Association, which played a major role in organizing the day's events.

Global Opportunities Fair Next Week
The doors of WPI's Campus Center Odeum will become the portals to educational adventure on Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. during the university's annual Global Opportunities Fair. More than 500 students are expected to move through the Odeum, which will be festooned with posters and flags and filled with tables of information about program sites throughout the world where WPI undergraduates may study or complete their Interactive Qualifying Projects. Advisors and students will be on hand to answer questions. Students may begin the passport application process by having a passport photo taken free of charge. For more information call Pam O'Bryant, ext. 6089.

Hall of Fame Welcomes New Members
Five individuals will be inducted into WPI's Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 20, in the Campus Center Odeum. The evening will begin with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by the Hall of Fame Banquet and the induction ceremony. This year's inductees are Albert G. Bellos '41 (basketball, baseball and football; posthumously); Brian W. Chu '92 (wrestling); George E. Chu '95 (wrestling); Kevin M. Doherty '79 (basketball); and Kimberly Landry '97 (basketball). The 20th annual induction ceremony will also celebrate the 60th anniversary of the acclaimed basketball team of 1942-43.

Capture the Pride
"Capture the Pride: WPI and Beyond" is the theme of this year's Homecoming. Members of the WPI community and their families are invited to join alumni for hours of memories, music and merriment during Homecoming Weekend, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20 and 21. For more information, including a schedule, visit www.wpi.edu/Admin/Alumni/Homecoming/.

Continuing Education Relocates
The Worcester-based Continuing and Professional Education staff has relocated to the MetroWest Campus. The mailing address is 225 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772. The phone number is 508-480-9200. The four digit extensions previously used to reach these employees are no longer operational. Arlene Lowenstein, dean of continuing and professional education, will maintain offices at both the MetroWest Campus and at 39 Dean Street.

Musical Notes
Sixty singers from WPI will take part in a performance of Paul Winter's Missa Gaia (Earth Mass) under the direction of Paul Winter himself. The performance will take place at St. John the Divine at 110th Street and Cathedral Parkway in New York City on Sunday, Oct. 6, as part of the annual St. Francis Day Blessing of the Animals. Winter, who plays soprano saxophone, will be accompanied by his world-famous consort, along with African drummers, dancers and a miraculous parade of live animals.

The WPI Glee Club has been asked to record the Massachusetts anthem for use on an upcoming National Public Radio program on state anthems. The Glee Club and Alden Voices will record three versions of the WPI Alma Mater this fall: one for all men, one all women and one mixed. Alden Voices is being joined by the Choral Arts Society of Worcester as artists-in-residence for the 2002-03 academic year. This group of 25 singers will be joining the Voices in weekly rehearsals and six concerts.

National Academy Members Joins Faculty
Steve Matson, adjunct professor in Chemical Engineering, was recently appointed the first Francis Manning Chair of Chemical Engineering. Among his many accomplishments and awards, he is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Wyslouzil Receives Kenneth T. Whitby Award
Barbara Wyslouzil, associate professor of chemical engineering, recently received the Kenneth T. Whitby Award from the American Association for Aerosol Research in recognition of her outstanding technical contributions to aerosol science and technology. The award is given annually to a mid-career scientist.

Bjork Honored as "Everyday Hero"
She may not look like one, but computer science major Sonja Bjork is one of central Massachusetts' "Everyday Heroes." Bjork was one of 28 local residents honored by the Red Cross of Central Massachusetts at its first annual Heroes Breakfast, which recognized ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. Stanley Selkow, professor of computer science, and Bill Baller, adjunct assistant professor of history, nominated Bjork. They noted her "everyday kindness and unselfishness" as a three-year volunteer mentor and key student organizer for WPI's Hoop Dreams mentoring program with Friendly House.

Human Resources Deadlines
Staff time sheets are due by noon on the Friday before the pay date. Human Resources and Payroll Office deadlines are noted below.

All forms submitted to Human Resources and Payroll must be complete and have all of the appropriate approvals to be processed. Forms submitted after these dates will be processed in the following payroll.

WPI's Human Resources Office encourages current employees to refer qualified individuals to apply for jobs at WPI. For each person you refer who is hired and who successfully completes six months of active service, you will receive a $500 bonus. The Employee Referral Bonus Program applies to all permanent nonfaculty, exempt and nonexempt positions.

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Pins, G., for "Engineering of Microtextured Basal Lamina Analogs to Control Keratinocyte Function and Enhance the Performance of Bioengineered Skin Substitutes," from the Whitaker Foundation, $222,418.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Ribeiro, F., for "Testing and Modeling of Catalysts and Absorbents for Nox Abatement," from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, $40,177. Thompson, R. and R. Datta, for "Modeling of Fluidized Bed and Fuel Cell Systems," from Yardney Technical Products, Inc., $20,000.

COMPUTER SCIENCE
Heffernan, N., for "A Comparison of Student Learning Under Multiple Conditions," from the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, $50,000. Heineman, G., for "ITR/SY: Features, Components and Legacy Systems," from the National Science Foundation, $91,000.

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Sunar, B., for "CAREER: New Directions for Cryptographic Hardware," from the National Science Foundation, $330,000.

FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERING
Barnett, J., for "Cable Failure Based on Electrical Resistance," from Sandia National Laboratories, $3993. Barnett, J., for "Calibration of the Improved Full Scale Flame Test Apparatus for Clothing," from the Department of Defense/Navy, $29,887

15 CAREER Awards: Something to Brag About
A recent issue of RPI's magazine boasted about the fact that the research university has 19 winners of the National Science Foundations CAREER Award. That's impressive. You may be even more impressed to know that WPI's faculty, considerably smaller than RPI's, now includes 15 winners of this prestigious honor.

The award, which generally provides five years of funding for a major research project, "is extremely competitive," says John F. Carney III, WPI's provost and vice president for academic affairs. "We averaged almost two awards per year between 1996 and 2001; we've added three more already this year. That's an extraordinary record for a school our size, and a good indication of the quality of our faculty."

The CAREER Award is the National Science Foundation's most competitive research award for young faculty. Each year, some 1,800 researchers apply, but only about 350 of the most promising researchers and educators will receive the coveted award.

Fisler, whose research is in computer-aided verification of hardware and software systems, received her award for the project, "A Computational Infrastructure for Timing Diagrams in Computer-Aided Verification." A member of the WPI faculty since 2000, she earned a Ph.D. in computer science from Indiana University.

Kazantzis' research interests include the analysis, control and optimization of nonlinear processes. He won his award for "Digital Model-Based Fault Detection and Isolation for Nonlinear Processes." Kazantzis joined the WPI faculty in 2001; he earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Sunar is the director of WPI's Cryptography and Information Security Research Laboratory. He received his award for the project, "New Directions for Cryptographic Hardware." Having earned a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Oregon State University, he joined the WPI faculty in 2000.

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Last modified: February 15, 2008 10:29:42